I guess I would consider this a "Budget Deck". It's roughly $75, last I checked. It was originally built as a home-brew, but after checking out MTG Top 8, I guess its an actual deck. I've been doing pretty alright in my local meta with it, with 2 pretty OK performances(2-1, 3-1) and 1 mediocre (2-2) so far. I am looking for any advice to improve it. Here it is...
I think you have trouble with B/W control because you're basically playing mono-Red control, and BW control is just a much stronger control deck. I have to agree. Thunderbreak/Draconic Roar would be a great addition to your deck. I'd probably play other dragons as well just to make Draconic Roar better. Mirrorwing Dragon would be cool. A card that tickles my interest is Dragonloft Idol. If you go the dragon route, that could be another neat play.
If you don't go the dragon route, you need to play with creatures that are harder to deal with than the ones you're currently playing. Akoum Firebird is hard to deal with. I'd definitely try it out.
Ronnie328, Thank you for the suggestions! My first thought was to stay away from the dragon list that is running around because most of the heat rotates in a few weeks. But I do like the Dragonloft Idol idea thou. Could work with Thunderbreak Regent, etc. Especially in a budget list.
Great suggestion with the Akoum Firebird. This is a card I pulled out to test but haven't gotten around to it yet. Having Haste helps this card a lot, I think. But my fear is that it still doesn't stand up to any of the angels in the BW lists. Linvala, the Preserver, Gisela, the Broken Blade, Bruna, the Fading Light, (not to mention Brisela, Voice of Nightmares) all eat it for lunch. But its probably worth testing anyway. Never know till you test it out...
Anyway, had an OK showing last night with the deck list shown above. Went 2-1, and dropped before the 4th round. I'm gonna make some changes and give it another go on Friday. Thanks for the input!
Creatures
4x Falkenrath Gorger - 1 drop 2/1, with super minimal upside with Insolent Neonate but not really more upside than just any 2/1 for R
4x Insolent Neonate - 1 drop 1/1 menace, sac: discard a card and then draw a card. This is the madness enabler and self killing creature. Menace has been relevant too. Best creature in the deck imo.
4x Lightning Berserker - 1 drop 1/1 with firebreathing and dash. Another 1 drop, random haste and scaling into the late game is good.
4x Scourge Wolf - 2 drop 2/2 first strike, delerium double strike. This guy kinda sucks but first strike has been good pushing through zombies and using pump spells especially when you have 3 cards in the graveyard and instant kill them with pump spell enabling delirum into something like 6-14 damage.
2x Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh - Has been really good in games it lives a turn. I board these out game two almost everytime along with 2 mountains and bring in a mini sideboard package.
Instants
4x Otherworldly Outburst - Insanely good card. It is a mini combat trick, a 1 mana 3/2 and a counterspell in many ways in this deck.
4x Titan’s Strength - 1 mana 3 damage is good, scry is good late, and can basically 1 hit KO a guy with delirium wolf.
4x Fiery Temper - Lightning Bolt
Enchantments
4x Skin Invasion - Makes you little men resilient to Languish and sorcery speed removal. Becomes a 1 mana 3/4.
Sorcery
4x Incendiary Flow - Incernerate
2x Exquisite Firecraft - Late game reach and kills the otherwise practically unbeatable Kalitas. Talking about Kalitas first strike wolf is alright against Kalitas.
Lands
20x Mountain
Sideboard
3x Call of the Moon - Against slower decks that really struggle in the 2 spells a turn type of game this is pretty decent. Also good in a full aggro rush match where the 2/1 into this turn 2 is a 5/3 attacking every turn and often many "if you kill this you are going to deal with 3/2s or 3/4s type cards"
4x Dragon Fodder - When 2 1/1s for 2 mana is good, I board this in. Basically against red mirror match. 4 is way too many though. I think 1 or 2 is better and add the 1 mana instant that deals 4 to a blue or white create that is uncounterable.
4x Infectious Bloodlust - When all they have is sorcery speed removal this card is pretty great. I usually bring this in against Liliana decks as well as black is mostly sorcery speed removal and the extra toughness helps against liliana.
2x Sparkmage’s Gambit - Against 1 toughness decks or decks that don't really play creatures until the mid-game and you can just make them not block.
2 Stensia Masquerade - I often board these in for Chandra when my opponents have a deck that can clog the ground with 1 and 2 toughness guys. In that situation the team first strike has been good for me. Gideon is a good example of when to swap Chandra for this. If you have 2/1s (including the firebreathing guy here) the knight gideon makes is basically game over, but with the first strike you can maintain pressure which has been clutch.
Cards I'd like to have access to in the sideboard are 2 more of Exquisite Firecraft. Some form of Lifegain hate, which I think is best served non-budget with a green splash and Atarka's Command. And possibly the 0/3 pinger that is similar to Chandra with an extra spells package for Liliana match ups.
Thanks for the detailed write up! I dig some of your choices. They seem to make sense from a pure-aggro stand point. And, I cant agree with you more when you say that you need something to counter some life gain. I'm hoping for something like that to be dropped in Kaladesh. *Fingers Crossed*
Here's something; If you are using Exquisite Firecraft for Kalitas, wouldn't Collective Defiance be better? I know those just shot up in price, so they might not be "budget" anymore. But the versatility can be pretty good. I like to run 3 main-board for the same reason you run Firecraft. I run 3 Firecrafts in the board for the match ups where 4 damage to the face is better than 3, or when I need the Spell Mastery mode. Just my 2 cents.
Some minor tweaks to the list based on card availability, but I got 2nd at FNM with basically the list I posted earlier. I used Zurgos instead of the 2/1 since I couldn't get the new cards. I also used the common 0/3 tap ping guy over Chandra since I didn't have Chandra in paper. I also had no sideboard. Use two more Firecraft as well since I only had 3 Lightning Berserker and I cut a mountain.
Lost game 3 of the finals stuck on 1 land and a sick hand if I just drew the second land. Probably was a bit greedy though given we were 1 and 1.
That's awesome! Good work. I got 2nd with my list on Friday as well! I've heard some mutterings online that R ins't in a great position in the meta at the moment. But I haven't been seeing that, exactly. Although, I can't seem to get this deck past X-1. My only match loss for the night was to GB Delirium Mid-range (0-2). Game 1 he cast the same Ishkanah 3 times in 4 turns. It was brutal. Game 2 I got stuck on 3 land for most of the game. A poor finish to what otherwise felt like a pretty good day for the deck. It was a bummer because I 2-0'ed that same deck the week before.
I can't complain thou, because I was able to use my winnings towards a Conspiracy 2 draft later that night.
Haha I did conspiracy2 with winnings too. The deck I felt weakest against wasn't the deck that beat me (round loss-wise) but a deck I beat 2-1, which was Bant Company. Reflector Mage was good against my Skin Invasion plan, but one game I got Skin Invasion on a Neonate (the self sac one) and the 3/4 body was clutch especially against Thalia's first strike. I think some blend of red can be a very good meta deck choice especially considering budget differences. I am not sure the exact tuning of the red deck to make it best, but it sounds like our two ways both have potential and that's always a good thing in a standard people often complain is stale.
Went 3-1 last Friday. Got 2nd outta 12. Felt pretty good. Beat BW Control (Not really "Angels," more straight-up "Control"), Bant Company Humans, and a 5 Color SuperFriends type deck. I got 2-0'd by a GW tokens deck. Too many bodies on the field, and without a real sweeper in my deck, it was a tough match up. Although, I fell like that match is winnable with the right draw. My sideboard is about to change so maybe I will have to shore up that MU.
How about this? I think the Copter is going to be $4 or $5 so if want real budget need to go cheaper. Maybe replace it with a 2 drop burn spell? Lupine Prototype is possible since you can pitch cards to the Vampire and Bloodseeker. Of course it will never happen, but I believe a turn 3 win is theoretically possible if you get Village Messenger out on turn 1 swing, flip on opponent turn, swing & Ravenous Bloodseeker out on Turn 2, swing out on turn 3, discard Distemper of the Blood, target bloodseeker, play built to smash target Bloodseeker, discard Fiery Temper, target opponent, discard last card in hand.
3 Geier Reach Sanitarium
3 Hanweir Battlements
2 Bedlam Reveler
4 Hanweir Garrison
4 Goblin Dark-Dwellers
3 Collective Defiance
4 Incendiary Flow
4 Tormenting Voice
4 Fiery Temper
4 Galvanic Bombardment
4 Lightning Axe
1 Collective Defiance
3 Exquisite Firecraft
3 Reality Smasher
3 Rending Volley
2 Smash to Smithereens
3 Tears of Valakut
Specifically, I need help with the BW Control/Angels MU. Its a tough one for me. The life-gain basically makes it un-winnable.
Anyway, any advice anyone could give would be great!
Edit: Decklist
Thunderbreak Regent and Draconic Roar will help you more than the Garrisons and extra Tormenting Voice.
If you don't go the dragon route, you need to play with creatures that are harder to deal with than the ones you're currently playing. Akoum Firebird is hard to deal with. I'd definitely try it out.
Great suggestion with the Akoum Firebird. This is a card I pulled out to test but haven't gotten around to it yet. Having Haste helps this card a lot, I think. But my fear is that it still doesn't stand up to any of the angels in the BW lists. Linvala, the Preserver, Gisela, the Broken Blade, Bruna, the Fading Light, (not to mention Brisela, Voice of Nightmares) all eat it for lunch. But its probably worth testing anyway. Never know till you test it out...
Anyway, had an OK showing last night with the deck list shown above. Went 2-1, and dropped before the 4th round. I'm gonna make some changes and give it another go on Friday. Thanks for the input!
4x Falkenrath Gorger
4x Insolent Neonate
4x Lightning Berserker
4x Scourge Wolf
2x Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh
Instant
4x Otherworldly Outburst
4x Titan’s Strength
4x Fiery Temper
4x Skin Invasion
Sorcery
4x Incendiary Flow
2x Exquisite Firecraft
Land
20x Mountain
3x Call of the Moon
4x Dragon Fodder
4x Infectious Bloodlust
2x Sparkmage’s Gambit
2 Stensia Masquerade
Creatures
4x Falkenrath Gorger - 1 drop 2/1, with super minimal upside with Insolent Neonate but not really more upside than just any 2/1 for R
4x Insolent Neonate - 1 drop 1/1 menace, sac: discard a card and then draw a card. This is the madness enabler and self killing creature. Menace has been relevant too. Best creature in the deck imo.
4x Lightning Berserker - 1 drop 1/1 with firebreathing and dash. Another 1 drop, random haste and scaling into the late game is good.
4x Scourge Wolf - 2 drop 2/2 first strike, delerium double strike. This guy kinda sucks but first strike has been good pushing through zombies and using pump spells especially when you have 3 cards in the graveyard and instant kill them with pump spell enabling delirum into something like 6-14 damage.
2x Chandra, Fire of Kaladesh - Has been really good in games it lives a turn. I board these out game two almost everytime along with 2 mountains and bring in a mini sideboard package.
Instants
4x Otherworldly Outburst - Insanely good card. It is a mini combat trick, a 1 mana 3/2 and a counterspell in many ways in this deck.
4x Titan’s Strength - 1 mana 3 damage is good, scry is good late, and can basically 1 hit KO a guy with delirium wolf.
4x Fiery Temper - Lightning Bolt
Enchantments
4x Skin Invasion - Makes you little men resilient to Languish and sorcery speed removal. Becomes a 1 mana 3/4.
Sorcery
4x Incendiary Flow - Incernerate
2x Exquisite Firecraft - Late game reach and kills the otherwise practically unbeatable Kalitas. Talking about Kalitas first strike wolf is alright against Kalitas.
Lands
20x Mountain
Sideboard
3x Call of the Moon - Against slower decks that really struggle in the 2 spells a turn type of game this is pretty decent. Also good in a full aggro rush match where the 2/1 into this turn 2 is a 5/3 attacking every turn and often many "if you kill this you are going to deal with 3/2s or 3/4s type cards"
4x Dragon Fodder - When 2 1/1s for 2 mana is good, I board this in. Basically against red mirror match. 4 is way too many though. I think 1 or 2 is better and add the 1 mana instant that deals 4 to a blue or white create that is uncounterable.
4x Infectious Bloodlust - When all they have is sorcery speed removal this card is pretty great. I usually bring this in against Liliana decks as well as black is mostly sorcery speed removal and the extra toughness helps against liliana.
2x Sparkmage’s Gambit - Against 1 toughness decks or decks that don't really play creatures until the mid-game and you can just make them not block.
2 Stensia Masquerade - I often board these in for Chandra when my opponents have a deck that can clog the ground with 1 and 2 toughness guys. In that situation the team first strike has been good for me. Gideon is a good example of when to swap Chandra for this. If you have 2/1s (including the firebreathing guy here) the knight gideon makes is basically game over, but with the first strike you can maintain pressure which has been clutch.
Cards I'd like to have access to in the sideboard are 2 more of Exquisite Firecraft. Some form of Lifegain hate, which I think is best served non-budget with a green splash and Atarka's Command. And possibly the 0/3 pinger that is similar to Chandra with an extra spells package for Liliana match ups.
Here's something; If you are using Exquisite Firecraft for Kalitas, wouldn't Collective Defiance be better? I know those just shot up in price, so they might not be "budget" anymore. But the versatility can be pretty good. I like to run 3 main-board for the same reason you run Firecraft. I run 3 Firecrafts in the board for the match ups where 4 damage to the face is better than 3, or when I need the Spell Mastery mode. Just my 2 cents.
Anyway, thanks for the response.
Lost game 3 of the finals stuck on 1 land and a sick hand if I just drew the second land. Probably was a bit greedy though given we were 1 and 1.
I can't complain thou, because I was able to use my winnings towards a Conspiracy 2 draft later that night.
Edit: grammar
Bomat Courier
Inventor's Apprentice
Village Messenger
Smuggler's Copter
Furyblade Vampire
Ravenous Bloodseeker
Lathnu Hellion
Built to Smash
Fiery Temper
Distemper of the Blood